base (
http://definr.com/base)
adj 1: serving as or forming a base; "the painter applied a base
coat followed by two finishing coats" [syn:
basal]
2: (used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior
metal; "base coins of aluminum"; "a base metal"
3: of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense);
"baseborn wretches with dirty faces"; "of humble (or
lowly) birth" [syn:
baseborn,
humble,
lowly]
4: not adhering to ethical or moral principles; "base and
unpatriotic motives"; "a base, degrading way of life";
"cheating is dishonorable"; "they considered colonialism
immoral"; "unethical practices in handling public funds"
[syn:
dishonorable,
dishonourable,
immoral,
unethical]
5: having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality;
"that liberal obedience without which your army would be a
base rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage";
"chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare;
"something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in
politics" [syn:
mean,
meanspirited]
6: (archaic) illegitimate [syn:
baseborn]
7: debased; not genuine; "an attempt to eliminate the base
coinage"
n 1: any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning
litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and
water; "bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals
and ammonia" [syn:
alkali]
2: installation from which a military force initiates
operations; "the attack wiped out our forward bases" [syn:
base of operations]
3: lowest support of a structure; "it was built on a base of
solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower" [syn:
foundation,
fundament,
foot,
groundwork,
substructure,
understructure]
4: place that runner must touch before scoring; "he scrambled
to get back to the bag" [syn:
bag]
5: (in a digital numeration system) the positive integer that
is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place;
"10 is the radix of the decimal system" [syn:
radix]
6: the bottom or lowest part; "the base of the mountain"
7: (anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of
attachment: "the base of the skull"
8: a lower limit: "the government established a wage floor"
[syn:
floor]
9: the fundamental assumptions underlying an explanation; "the
whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture" [syn:
basis,
foundation,
fundament,
groundwork,
cornerstone]
10: a support or foundation; "the base of the lamp" [syn:
pedestal,
stand]
11: the bottom side of a geometric figure from which the
altitude can be constructed; "the base of the triangle"
12: the place where you are stationed and from which missions
start and end [syn:
home]
13: (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are
removed; "thematic vowels are part of the stem" [syn:
root,
root word,
stem,
theme,
radical]
14: the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed
for the functioning of a country or area; "the industrial
base of Japan" [syn:
infrastructure]
15: the principal ingredient of a mixture; "glycerinated gelatin
is used as a base for many ointments"; "he told the
painter that he wanted a yellow base with just a hint of
green"; "everything she cooked seemed to have rice as the
base"
16: a flat bottom on which something is intended to sit; "a tub
should sit on its own base"
17: (electronics) the part of a transistor that separates the
emitter from the collector
v 1: use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some
observation" [syn:
establish,
ground,
found]
2: use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes
[syn:
free-base]
3: assign to a station [syn:
station,
post,
send,
place]